Missing
by Milevens
Summary: 65-500 word chapters. Caleb Rivers is a trainee hoping to make it to crime scene investigator. What he soon discovers is that he will be investigating something: The murder of someone closest to him. As he draws the pieces of the puzzle closer together, he realizes a shocking truth that will change the trajectory of his life. Forever.
1. Chapter 1

His footsteps crunched on the wet pavement as Caleb crouched to better see what he was meant to. The exercise was to test his readiness for the program that he wanted to be in. Caleb had always wanted to be a crime scene investigator, and now he was realizing those dreams.

"What have you got?" his leader checked.

Blood splatters coming from the west." He knew he hit the mark when his leader gave no remarks.

* * *

 _This story contains two of my favorite themes that are so often forgotten. At least for me. Love and sacrifice. And also a fair amount of challenge and pain along the way. The Missing 'verse is one that I worked on for many years on another account. I am (attempting) to revive it in a different way. To add further challenge to the overarching theme of this story, the chapters will be 65-100 words long. No less, and no more than that._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Moving through the mock crime scene while his senses pulled double duty, Caleb was on alert for anything that might be pulled on him to test him. His dad was a police officer. Before that, a detective. Doing this was in his DNA, like breathing.

Shining his light along the rain-soaked road, he furrowed his brows in confusion when he noticed the yellow dust that was on the dark street. Bending down, he ran his fingers over the substance.

"Find something?" his leader asked.

"I think so."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The yellow dust still had to be checked to see what exactly it was. It did not take a genius to figure out that this was not part of the training that night. Going over to be with his team, he noted looks of incredulity on their faces at the unexpected events of that night. Running a hand down his face, he only vaguely listened in.

"The smell was like rotten eggs. What kind of powder does _that_?" One trainee asked.

"The kind of stuff found in hell," Caleb said with a small smile. "Sulfur."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Home was truly where the heart was. That statement had once been mocked by the man walking through the front door, but now he understood the meaning behind it. After finishing his training for the night, he had been allowed to go home. Walking in, he was assaulted by the aroma of good cooking.

Turning a corner into the kitchen, he found his wife with her back turned to him. She was standing with her back to him. Using his sense of humor, he came toward her and spun her around.

"You scared me!"

"You bet I did."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Being able to retreat to the privacy of his own bedroom that he shared with his wife, was a welcome relief from the coldness of the streets while he was doing his training for crime scene investigator. The workload was rigorous, but he would not have changed anything that came with knowing he would soon be following in the same field his father worked at. Although his dad had died on the job, it did not change his desire to do it.

"Ready to go to sleep?" Katie asked.

"You bet," Caleb affirmed, reaching to place his hand on her swollen abdomen. Her pregnancy was a surprise, but one that they both had embraced as being something that was good.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Caleb was not exactly sure why he woke in the middle of the night, a cold sweat on his back and head. All that _he_ knew, was that something had jolted him from a deep enough sleep that he could not remember what he did before. Running a hand down his face, he turned his head to his wife. Katie was still sleeping, but that was not what caused him disturbance.

Her part of the floral blanket was soaked in a nauseating sight of blood. Not believing what he was seeing, Caleb ignored what he was feeling, and ripped the covers back. Her body was still, and she was bleeding from an open wound on her throat. She, and their unborn child were dead.

He would have screamed, but at that time, he was jolted awake by someone shaking his shoulder. Wiping the sweat from his face, he turned to look at his confused wife.

"Honey, it was just a dream."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The brutal nightmare stuck with Caleb over the next day as he struggled to put it behind him. Although he knew that his wife was perfectly safe and sound while they waited for their first baby to arrive, he could not shake the vivid smells and sight of his wife bleeding to death on their bed. A nightmare for any man, and one that he was desperately hoping was just a product of being too tired. That particular foggy afternoon, he was in a cramped exam room while the OB-GYN officially let them know if their baby was a boy or girl.

A dream for any father, and he was about to know if he would have a boy to throw the ball around with, or a little princess that would melt his heart the second he saw her. Clasping Katie's hand, he tried to focus _only_ on the definitive ultrasound that would let them know what they would be having come spring. Forcing a smile on his face when she met his eyes, he leaned close to the image that was being projected. However, before the doctor could do much more than open her mouth to begin speaking, his attention was diverted to the wall behind his wife.

"Caleb?" Katie questioned, her green eyes boring into his. "Sweetheart, what's _wrong_?"

"Blood," was all Caleb could manage to say.

The wall behind them was a slow river of blood.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

It was easy to believe that he was starting to lose his mind after the unfortunate incident at the doctor's office that ended with him forcing himself to keep his eyes off the wall, and on his wife. The doctor, as kind as she was, could not keep the troubled expression off her face while she read the results again. They were having a girl, and Caleb could see the look of euphoria on her face as they walked out of the clinic and drove home. What was still nagging his mind was the mind games his brain was playing on him.

"Caleb," Katie said, taking a deep breath as though she had been preparing to say this for awhile. "What was that back at the doctor's office?" Her usually carefree expression was marred with worry.

"I...I can't explain it, Kates. I just _can't."_

"Is it something at work? How is the training going for-"

"Fine," Caleb interjected, his hand tightening under the steering wheel. "It's okay."

Caleb could tell she did not believe him. _He_ would not have believed himself, either.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Try as he might have all through the remainder of the week, Caleb could not shake the horrific images that pounded through his mind at the doctor's office. The sight of actual blood flowing down the floral wall like a river, was the last thing he would have expected to see at something so important. What was even more troubling to him as he worked in the training lab to identify particles found at the mock crime scene, was the nightmare he had of Katie dying. The death seemed too real, and that was what terrified him.

"Hey, man," Nathan Wells, his father's best friend and member of the teaching team was standing over him. "You doing okay? Got all the screws tightened in that noggin?" His comment was a joke, but Caleb failed to see the humor in _anything_ that afternoon.

"Not really feeling this class today…or anything for that matter." Bending his head down, he ignored the pressing gaze sent his way by Nathan. He was investigating the strange yellow substance that had been found at the bogus crime scene. He joked, at the time, that it was sulfur, but now he was considering it.

 _Sulfur._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The first thing Caleb smelled upon walking through the still in-progress home he and Katie were working on, was the metallic scent of blood. It filled his nostrils better than anything else could, and was the first sign he had that something could be terribly wrong. Growing up around his rowdy cousins, he knew to expect the odd cut or bruise, but this was something much different. Swallowing the lump that was forming in his throat, he slowly walked toward it. Not completely sure what to expect, he kept his pace slow, but eager.

"K-Katie?" He hated how his voice sounded, so weak and scared witless that something was wrong when it most likely was not. "Kates? You there?" Nothing. Not one sound of acknowledgment from his wife. The smell was coming from the kitchen, and it almost made him pass out. "Katie?"

Reaching the wall that separated him from the open-concept kitchen, he paused a heartbeat, before moving around the barrier that separated him from the kitchen. When his eyes landed on the scene that waited for him, his brain had a hard time catching up with reality: Katie was lying in the center of a pool of her own blood, a gaping gash across her throat. The love of his life, and the mother of his child, was dead.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Instead of preparing to celebrate Christmas the very next morning with their freshly-chopped tree that was ripe for the picking, Caleb leaned against the back of a police car as a swarm of his friends crowded through his once peaceful home. These were people he had known all his life because of his father, and yet he could not place these officers at the scene of his wife's murder. It was simply too _surreal_ to process. His training as a crime scene investigator was starting to kick in, but he resisted the impulse. He was not experienced enough, and more than likely he would be banned from helping.

His wife was _dead._ His unborn child was _dead._ Some depraved mind had broken into his home, and killed them as though they were nothing more than objects. Worse in his mind was that he was unable to be there to perform his duty as a husband and protect them. Broken sobs punctured the frenzied night air, and left him breathless as he cried into his hands. Christmas Eve, and his wife and child were both dead.

"Caleb?" Looking up through eyes blurred with tears, he met the concerned gaze of his friend. Nathan was trained to perform this job, but yet his eyes had never seemed heavier than that moment. "We're going to find out who did this. It's not an empty promise."

Caleb nodded, even though the effort took somewhat of an inhuman effort. "Thank-thank you." Having the backing of the entire police force was a relief that he sorely needed at a time like that. "I appreciate-"

"Don't even say that crap to me," Nathan interjected. "You know this is personal for _all_ of us."

He did know that. Turning away from Nathan, he was about to do something to occupy his mind, when he noticed the strange figure standing across the street. This person, a man from the shadow, was simply staring at the devastation in his neighborhood. His hands folded almost precisely in front of him.

* * *

 _A little longer than usual, but I felt it was necessary to appropriately capture the devastation and drama of the moment instead of trying to chop it up._

 ** _Merry Christmas!_**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

He swore he would protect her; he swore to always be there for her through better or worse. Those wedding vows had been recited almost three years prior to that horrific night, and Caleb still took them as seriously as the dusk night on the beach when he stared into her beautiful eyes that were so full of trust in him. He had broken that trust, and no one would ever convince him that he had not. Instead of working late on a holiday, he should have been home with his wife preparing for Christmas. Swiping a hand down his face, he perched on the edge of the hard hotel bed that Nathan had generously paid for.

His home was a crime scene, and even he was allowed to go in there, he was certain he would choose not to. The home was full of too many memories that was now serving as a double-edged sword of pain and joy to him. The home where they would raise their daughter, and where he would obsess when she went out on her first date and was late returning home. A home that saw the birth of a family, and the violent end of one. The place he labored over to make perfect for them, was now stained with her blood and the pain of her passing.

"Tell me again what that man looked like," Nathan said, pacing the room. He had just made his fifth rotation in the span of only two minutes. Caleb knew, he had counted.

"It was hard to tell what he looked like. His face and body were covered by the dark. It was just…odd how he was behaving. Just _standing_ there with his arms folded."

Instead of offering to help the grieving man that he was looking at, the man had simply stared a little longer until something had garnered his attention. Bringing it up to Nathan had been the right call, and that was clear from the moment he noted the look of confusion on his face. Nathan was an investigator, and would be able to gather the resources to make sure this man was on the up and up.

"We'll go through the security footage from tonight. If anything, that should tell us who did this. And if this guy had anything to do with it."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Christmas was officially upon the residents of the sleepy town that just awoken to the startling news of a murder on Christmas Eve. The murder of a pregnant woman who was well-liked by the members of her small town, and who were now mourning her death. Katie's husband had been awake most of the night, unable to catch any sleep even if he wanted to. Laying in the dark room of the hotel Nathan paid for him, he struggled to understand how something like this could happen. They were good people, who tried their best to be loving to those they met. Katie was a member of just about every group project he could think of, and yet someone wanted her _dead_?

Unable to sleep when the pressing images of her death continued to assault his brain, he rose with a numbness that surprised him as he washed a hand down his face, trying to erase the tiredness from his eyes, and the searing images he had of her death. He doubted those pictures would ever truly disappear when it was the single most horrifying thing he had to bear witness to. Walking once feeling returned to his legs, he sat down in front of the TV where Nathan had left the CCTV footage from his street. Even though they had picked through it with a fine tooth comb, he wanted to make sure.

Slowly zooming in on his street once the camera turned to that angle, he flipped the picture around until it showed the mayhem that eclipsed his quiet street after the police and reporters converged on the scene. It was easy to spot his sobbing form as he leaned against the patrol car. Just beyond him, was the same person he saw once he turned his head. From the darkened position this person was, it was understandable that he and Nathan missed him on their first viewing of the footage. Leaning forward in his seat, he studied the guy as he stood stock-still.

"What the hell?" Caleb muttered to himself. "Who is this-" the words died on his mouth when he noticed the sensation that was happening with his eyes. The eyes that were once concealed by the darkness, were glowing ominously in the footage. A bright white against the grays and blacks of the footage.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The last thing Caleb felt like doing was venturing outside when the spirit of Christmas was thick in the air. People strolling down the town streets, arms linked with each other as they gossiped animatedly about their plans for that day. A loud speaker from somewhere in a gift store proudly blasted traditional Christmas hits. A few flakes of snow hit the windshield of Caleb's truck as he rounded the corner to the police station. His wife used to love all that came with the holidays, and always looked forward to dressing up, and decorating her home. In fact, quite a few of their decorations were still displayed in the home. As the sight of the police station came into view, Caleb wondered if he would ever be brave enough to go back inside.

He had things to pack of hers that would become treasured items later when his pain was not as harsh as it was now. In her excitement over the pregnancy, Katie had splurged on several items for the nursery. Cute onesies hung on a rack in the baby's room. The crib had been gifted to them from someone on the force, and had prominent themes of pink and a light purple that Katie claimed was peaceful. The wall, on the other hand, was painted in shades of white and cream. Whenever she was not around, Caleb would often go into that room and fantasize about what kind of kid he would soon be the father of.

None of that mattered now. His baby girl had been killed before she even got the privilege to draw breath on this earth. He would never know what she would turn out to be like: Would she be like him? Or would she be a mixture of both of her parents? Would she get into the same things her parents did? Or would she develop her own interests? Those questions had made themselves at home in Caleb's mind as he steered the car toward the small office. One big question that had come into his mind, was the appearance of the man on the security footage, and if he was possibly related to what happened.

"His eyes were _glowing_?" Nathan repeated, his second or third time voicing the same question as he regarded Caleb with a look that he had only ever seen when his father proposed something truly outlandish. Even though he had dreaded going out with the spirit of Christmas heavy in the air, Caleb knew that their talk would be better served in person.

"That's what I saw," Caleb affirmed, leaning forward to switch on the TV. "They were white like orbs, and had a brightness to them that I can't even explain." His training as a crime scene investigator was starting to kick in, but he knew that this would likely be something that was not covered in the material.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Reaching for a book to research who (or _what_ ) could have a reaction to the camera like the man did, was something that was normal for Caleb after beginning his training as a crime scene investigator. Everything was potential evidence, and that included the circular orbs that reacted so strongly to the camera glare. Bending his head low, he thumbed through the different graphics that depicted technical descriptions of camera meddling that could explain what was happening. In the other room, he could hear the low murmur of Nathan's voice as he conversed with the medical examiner. Katie's autopsy was required to complete the investigation, but he was not ready to hear the details of her death.

"What did they say?" Caleb checked, once he heard Nathan stroll back into the room.

"They told me they completed the autopsy on Katie." Nathan's voice softened in sympathy. "All they have to do now is run some more tests on her blood and such." Those results would taken weeks to get back, and Caleb was not nearly as concerned with those findings.

"Do we have to go there?"

"In a few minutes."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The grieving husband thought there was nothing that could have possibly matched the horror of finding his pregnant wife slaughtered in the kitchen as though she were an animal, but that was before Caleb forced himself to walk through the sickeningly bright office of the county morgue. There, as he sat in the oppressive waiting room that was too cheery for his liking, he tried to shake the nausea that was coursing through his body like a slow stream. Leaning forward, he placed his head in his hands, and willed himself to breathe. A hand on his back confirmed to him that Nathan was paying attention, and was concerned about his friend.

"Hey," Nathan whispered, "in a few minutes, this will all be over. Okay?"

"It won't ever be over," Caleb quietly disagreed.

Even after the media storm died down, and after the funeral had been held for her, she would always be gone and that was a reality that was slowly starting to sink into his fragmented mind. Looking up when he heard a steady flow of voices, he expected to see the medical examiner coming to collect them. What he did not count on seeing were two men who looked like detectives, or possibly faking being detectives. Part of Caleb's training had been to catch fakers in the act. With these two, he could not put his finger on who they _really_ were.

"Who do you think those two are?" Nathan questioned, obviously paying attention to them, as well.

"I don't know." What Caleb did not like was seeing them slowly inch toward the back room that he knew held the body of his wife. The woman at the front desk barely glanced at their ID's before ushering them through.

Not able to focus too much longer on it when a man in a white lab suit came out to get them, he hoped that he would be mentally strong enough to hear the grisly details of her death. In many ways, he knew he would never be okay enough to know exactly how she died. With a sigh that echoed hours of intense mourning, he gave Nathan a look before following him back.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Caleb forced himself to walk down the narrow hallway that seemed to be in stark contrast to how bright the reception area was. Plenty of doors with gold-embossed nameplates adorned the walls, and made Caleb remember the plenty of times when he had accompanied his father to a report when he became of age. Now he was in the same situation again, only this time it was much more personal than simply viewing the body of someone he had no intimate connection to. Swallowing the lump in his throat before tears could show up, he smiled gratefully at Nathan when he put his hand on his shoulder. No matter what, at least he had him.

The mourning husband lost count of how long they walked down the twisting hallways that seemed to lead down the exact replica of the other. In a large way, he was glad that he had the time to gather his thoughts before he was subjected to the pain of knowing how his wife died, and what the report seemed to suggest. Nathan was a big source of support to him, and one he was glad to have. Heaving a deep sigh when they stopped outside a door, he swayed side-to-side as he prepared himself as much as possible. The office, once he entered, was personal, and full of family photos of a man and a woman with three kids. The man was the same one sitting in front of them.

Numbly shaking his hand, he sat down in the plush leather seat that he sank right into. The manila folder that contained the report on her death, was lying in front of the man. Tearing his eyes away from that folder, he made himself look only at the man who would be delivering their findings. How many times had he been witness to these kinds of reports? Too many times to count, but the only difference was that he had not been in the spot of knowing the victim so well.

"You can skip the introduction," Nathan said, once the man opened his mouth to speak. His nametag said his name was Dr. Hawkins. "We just want to know what this was, and how she died."

Dr. Hawkins nodded, giving a sympathetic nod to Caleb. "Of course." He reached forward, unclipping a portion of the file that contained all the pertinent information. "This autopsy is only part of the picture. We still have to get the drug and alcohol screens back."

"I…I understand," Caleb said, leaning back in his chair when he noticed the same two men he saw earlier. They were walking back from the same room where Katie would be. "So, what did you find?"

"Well, first of all, the death was ruled a homicide by means of blunt-force trauma to the head, and knife wounds that would be fatal within a matter of minutes."

Caleb had to pause a moment to collect himself. "Did she suffer?"

"Death would occur within minutes. Before that, she would lose consciousness within a matter of seconds."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The room was as bare outside as Caleb felt on the inside as he somehow walked forward under his own steam to view the wife of his body before everyone else arrived. It had been days since her autopsy was finished and he had been forced to hear the grisly details concerning her death. Now came the hard part of saying goodbye to her. Leaning forward, he put his warm hand on her cold one, and gently squeezed. This would be the last moment he would get to spend with her, and he wanted it to be special. The door behind him creaked open, but he barely paid it much attention. No doubt, it was Nathan coming to make sure he was okay. His father's friend had become his friend in recent days.

Heaving a deep sight that took all of his effort not to make into tears of complete devastation, he swiped a hand down his face and took one last look at his precious wife before he turned away. Her stomach was flat, but had the slightest hint of a baby bump that would never get the right to be born into the world. Her hair was still the same brunette that she died it several weeks before she died. It was bizarre how much he noted about her appearance when he was standing over her corpse.

"Caleb Rivers?" Caleb froze in place when he heard the voice. It was not the voice of his friend, but the soft voice of a stranger.

Turning around, he saw the same two men who he had seen previously. They were well-dressed, and had looks of sympathy on their faces that he could tell was painted on for his benefit. The one to the right, a kind man from the looks of it, seemed to be warmer than his friend. Regarding them with eyes that had been trained to catch even the smallest variation in a person or crime scene, he took a step back.

"Who the hell are you people? And why?" Caleb demanded, struggling for words. "Why did I see you poking around my wife's body?"

"That is something that we can explain to you," the man said, his eyes softening for him. "First, let me introduce myself and my friend." He paused a moment, as though evaluating whether or not he really wanted to give Caleb that information. "My name is…Jim Murphy." He gestured to his friend. "And this is my friend, Bobby Singer."

"Okay," Caleb answered with a shrug. "And what gives you the right to snoop? I mean, unless, you're members of the press and just want to get up there with the boss."

The one named Jim smiled and shook his head. "It's nothing like that. We're…we're investigators. Special ones."

Something was not adding up with these two, and that made Caleb suspicious right off the bat. His father used to warn him about suspects who either lied right to someone's face, or the ones who spouted a bunch of information meant to deter the one talking to them from the real issue. Caleb suspected the latter.

"I don't know what kind of "investigators" you think you are-"

"We're hunters," the one called Bobby blurted out. "Normally, we'd have the time to dance around the issue like a damn ballerina, but now is not the time for that."

Jim looked at Bobby with a look of half-annoyance and half-respect. "What he _means_ is that we hunt the very thing that killed your wife."

* * *

 **Happy New Years!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Monsters existed; the very same ones that killed his pregnant wife. They lived in and around the world where no regular human beings were ever bothered by them. Some were unfortunate enough to experience them, and one of those people happened to be his wife. Caleb listened to what they said with a heart that pounded with each word they uttered. They were hunters, people who killed the thing that murdered Katie. They had been on its tail for a few days before it struck again, and killed his wife. The monster, the one with the glowing eyes, was a shape-shifter (or shifter) that took on the basic appearance and mental appearance of the one it was trying to hunt.

Sitting in an unsteady chair for support, Caleb buried his head in his hands as he thought back to the footage of the mysterious man who simply stood on the side of the street as the heartbreaking scene unfolded the day before Christmas. At the time, Caleb could remember being suspicious about the sight of him and those eyes of his that glowed against the security footage from the street camera. To their credit, Jim and Bobby seemed determined to give him as much space as they could so he could process what was happening to him. A million questions raced through his mind like a race horse, but he swallowed most of them and sorted the most pressing ones to the center.

"How…how does someone like…like _you_ kill something like _that_?"

Although he could not _imagine_ taking up something like hunting, he also knew he wanted revenge for what happened to his small family. Katie, his world and center, would still be alive if it were not for the thing that broke into their home on Christmas Eve, and slaughtered her. A bitter taste welled up in his throat as he lifted his head to meet their calm gazes. Bobby seemed much more impatient and anxious than Jim, but he was trying to follow the lead of his friend.

Out in the main hall, he could hear the crowds starting to show up. Most of the people they knew, had lived in the town their entire lives. That was one reason why they chose such a secluded part of the world because of how tight-knit everyone was. In particular, he recalled how excited he was to raise his child the same way that he had been raised. With the visitation set to begin, he wondered how he would be able to hold up in the face of the questions that would almost certainly come from well-meaning people.

"There are ways that it can be done," Jim replied, folding his hands in front of him. When he moved, Caleb could see the outline of a gun in his pocket. "Um, the only way _we_ know how to kill a shifter, is by a silver bullet or knife."

"Most folks don't get close enough to stab it with a knife," Bobby supplied. "You just have to ram the creepy-eyed sucker with one of those bullets."

Caleb sighed, arching his spine forward. "How does one get involved in this kind of life?"

"They get involved through a loss, most of the time," Jim explained. "Like you, and the two of us. Both of us went through something very similar to you."

Caleb could not imagine leaving the kind of life he had become accustomed to, but he also knew he would never forgive himself if he did not do anything in his power to avenge her. With a sigh of surrender, he stood to face the two men who had just turned his life upside down.

"When do we start?"

* * *

 **Reviews would be greatly appreciated!**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

 **One year later**

Caleb breathed a winded breath as he stared down the scope of his rifle at the moving targets that danced in front of him as they taunted him with their prowess and speed. It had been just over a year since his life changed in the most dramatic way after his wife was murdered. Through time and training, he had mastered the skills needed to become a decent hunter in training.

"You've been out here all morning," Jim noted, standing at the edge of the range with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Better safe than sorry."

"That is true," Jim noted, still clad in his sweatpants. "I'm going in early today, and then we can browse through the papers."

"Sounds good."

Any case they happened to find, was most likely done through the papers. It was a frustrating way to search for potential cases, but something that had to be done the right way. Turning back to his targets, he switched his weapon for a handgun and made sure it was loaded. Supernatural evil would not wait for him to gain training on everything he needed.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The steady red sign flashed in front of Caleb as he pulled his jacket tighter around himself to fend off the harsh coldness from the recent downpour that left half the town flooded. Even though he still considered himself a novice hunter in comparison to the ones he knew, he still thought himself capable of investigating a "strange" happening that one of his contacts had called to inform him of. Rubbing his hands together, he stepped out of the street and through the sliding doors that admitted him to the ER. A team of receptionists were waiting at the center desk. Over the last year, it had been easy to perfect the lie that he was expected to recite to people.

"Hi," Caleb said, pushing the rain off his soaked face. "Caleb Read. FBI."

"FBI, huh?" The pink-clad woman repeated, studying the badge he held in front of her face. "Don't see too many of your kind around here." His kind; meaning that this hospital was one of few that had few problems other than a car accident or birth.

"Yeah," Caleb nodded, bowing his head briefly. "I'm here to, if possible, speak with the children that you brought in here. I'm investigating the disappearance of their father. John Winchester."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The little boy was sitting with his legs crossed on the edge of the exam table in the sterile-smelling room. His striking green eyes were downcast as he folded his hands over themselves. He breathed a deep sigh, before seeming to sense that someone was in the room with him. Taking care to move slowly so he would not startle the child, Caleb kept a comforting distance.

"Hi." He spoke quietly to the scared boy. "My name is Caleb." The child did not offer a response. "Are you Dean?"

The boy considered his answer, before shrugging. "Yes."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Caleb had questioned many children who had been through traumatic incidents before coming to the hospital. They all had different responses to the pain that was coursing through their body. Although Dean appeared to be well on the outside, it was the emotional ramifications that he worried about. However, Dean surprised him when he brushed off some smudges of dirt from his clothes, and looked the adult square in the face.

"Where's my brother?"

"Your-" Caleb had been unaware that Dean had a brother; his contact had only mentioned Dean.

"Sammy. Where is he?"

Caleb leaned forward in his seat, knowing the burning desire that one could have for someone who was family. It was the same kind of primal instinct that dominated his obsession with the hunt once he accepted what was out there. He hated having to see the same look in Dean's green eyes. Briefly hesitating in his speech when he heard the nurses and doctors outside, he turned his attention back to the boy.

"I'll find him. I'll get him back."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The bright lights that filtered down from the hospital ceiling was blinding to Caleb as he pushed through the heavy doors to meet the lone man who was leaning against the wall by the drinking faucet. Jim had come from work after one too many calls had come from Caleb. The young hunter prided himself on being able to work cases on his own, but he needed his friend on one like this. It pained his heart that Dean was going through the disappearance of his father, and not knowing where his brother was. Hospital personnel had informed him that Sam Winchester was in another unit in the hospital.

"What do we have?" Jim asked, making sure to keep his voice low.

"The kids' father vanished. Just like that." Caleb shook his head. "I'm gonna head off to the Corner Station once we get his brother back with him." The slimy gas station being the last place John Winchester had been seen.

Jim nodded slowly, sucking on his bottom lip thoughtfully. "Okay, that sounds like a plan. How are they? The boys?"

"Scared. At least Dean is. I haven't seen Sam yet."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Caleb chose his steps carefully as he stepped inside the dimly lit gas station that was devoid of the usual customer rush that would have hindered his investigation. Throwing a quick nod to the man working the counter, Caleb made a straight line toward the back bathroom. From what little information he could get from Dean after he had been reunited with his brother, they had been hiding in a small bathroom until someone saw them. Shaking his head in disbelief over what they must have endured, the young hunter stepped around the corner and into the bathroom.

The power had been cut in the room, but Caleb ignored the 'out of order' sign as his trained senses tried to understand what could have happened that would have let a father abandon his children. Shoving back the unbridled rage that threatened to rush over and render him useless, Caleb sneaked out his EMF reader that would be able to pick up supernatural energy. Sucking in a breath while he slowly waved the device around, his ears pulled double duty while they listened to the sounds outside, and inside the room. Once he was sure the room was clear of the presence of evil, he continued his search.

Bending around the filthy toilet when he noted suspicious smudges, his work as a crime scene investigator began to kick in once again. Never more grateful for that particular career choice, Caleb squinted his eyes and reached for his small flashlight. Bringing it up close to the spot that had started the process of drying, his heart constricted in his chest when he recognized the dark red spot of blood. In a gas station bathroom, blood must not have been that uncommon, but his unique eye for detail urged him to consider something else.

Reaching behind him for his knife, Caleb gently scraped along the dirty floor to collect a sample. Hearing something on the outside that sounded like footsteps, he moved the process along a little faster. At home, he would be able to identify if the substance was indeed blood, and if it had anything supernatural about it. First, he had to get back to the hospital and make sure the boys were okay. Dean had been thrilled to be reunited with his brother after Caleb tracked him down in the hospital nursery. Wanting to make sure they were okay, he stood up once he was sure he had everything.

About to turn to head back outside to his idling truck, a hand clamping down on his shoulder made the hunter grip his knife reflexively. Calming down once he saw the thoroughly confused look of the worker at the counter he had seen coming in, he gave him half-a-smile and tried to walk around him. The man, however, clearly had more questions for him.

"What are you doing in here, sir? The sign said-"

"I know," Caleb breathed, fishing in his pocket for his FBI badge. "But, uh, this is a special case. I'm investigating the disappearance of someone who might have been seen in your station last night."

"Look, dude, there's hundreds of people who come through here."

Caleb nodded; it was obvious he would not be garnering the information he needed from this man. Thinking on his feet had been something that he had done nearly his entire life. One way or another, he was determined to do something to look further into the disappearance of these boys' fathers.

"Okay, that's fine. I'll, uh, I'll need the security footage from last night."

"Okay, that's cool."

Caleb was tempted to make some wise-crack remark to his cavalier attitude, but his professionalism banned him from doing so. His first priority was making sure he had something to give that frightened little boy.


End file.
